Nuki joins Works with Home Assistant

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Still do not understand how this could pass the Works with Home Assistant certification program when it requires a propriatory app that is only available from Apple and Google app stores?

This new EU law for European Union data act is another reason why you do not want to require the use of manufacturers specific propriatory application to setup a new device. Instead all IoT devices should be able to be installed from scratch completely local only without needing propriatory apps or any cloud services. So think that Nuki might want to change their installation method to be local only and without requiring a propriatory app or any cloud service before this new law goes into effect on the 12th September 2026:

As they wrote in a recent Open Home Foundation newsletter; ” You don’t own it if they can break it”, which is this case is the propriatory Nuki app as long as that is still required for initial installation.

Again, requiring a propriatory breaks the installation if that app is removed from the app store of Nuki ever remove support for old products in future versions of their app.

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I bought the Nuki Smart Lock assuming it would integrate smoothly with Home Assistant. The marketing suggested native support, but in practice, it’s been more complicated.

  • The lock works fine via Wi-Fi and the Nuki app. No complaints there.
  • But HA integration seems to rely on Matter (via GHome?), which is surprisingly flaky. It’s often more offline than online.
  • I was hoping for a direct LAN-based integration. Why no local API support (?) out of the box?

When I find time, I’ll dig deeper into the setup flow. Maybe I missed something, but for now, it’s so not plug-and-play.

I was planning to buy two more (for the backdoor and garage), but given the current state of integration, I’m putting that on hold.

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Matter is complicated as you can have either separate or shared Matter networks, (meaning that you can connect Matter devices via a other ecosystem’s Matter controller), so instead of using Matter via Google or Apple ecosystems you should actually buy a Thread radio adapter like Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 (USB raddio adapter previously known as Home Assistant SkyConnect) or the Home Assistant Yellow (which has a built-in radio adapter) and then configure either ZBT1’s or Yellow’s Thread-radio as an Open Thread Border Router (which makes it act like a bridge to the Thread wireless protocol) to finally be able access that from Home Assistant’s own native Matter controller and try using that. Read:

and

Downside with that setup is that you probably do not have any other Thread Border Routers which means if using Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 then it becomes a single-point-of-failure :confused:

Hope that Home Assistant / Nabu Casa comes out with more Thread Border Router products! :wink:

Also see FAQ which list prerequisites and has an assumtion you are already using such a setup:

Q: How were these devices tested?

A: All devices in this list were tested using a standard Home Assistant Yellow with the built-in Thread border router and our certified Matter Integration. If you have another hub, border router setup, or integration, that’s not a problem. We test against these as they are the most effective way for our team to certify within our ecosystem.

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I bought Nuki Smart Lock Go. I also bought Aqara M100 for Thread hub. I could not connect the lock via Matter to my HA server, it shows error code 1 when it tries to add the device via Matter. Nuki app shows that the device is connected to the Matter network. What is error code 1?

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But HA integration seems to rely on Matter

There is no native integration, it uses the Matter integration.

(via GHome?)

Can you elaborate? What does GHome has to do with it? Is it providing your Thread Border Router?

I was hoping for a direct LAN-based integration

LAN as in Ethernet cables? The Nukis don’t have an Ethernet port… Or do you just mean a “local network”? It uses Thread, which is a local wireless network.

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Afaik you need ether Apple or Google servers for a successful comissioning of “your” matter device. It’s outlined in the companion app docs essentially meaning you can’t use a matter device you payed for without relying on cloud (other peoples computers) and properitery software. At least without violationing matter specs which seems to mostly protect walled gardens of vendors instead of granting/promoting ownership or full local control to the buyer (sometimes mistaken as owner) :person_shrugging:

Also quite nice how easily it is nowadays for Google to get data from Amazon or Samsung clients (or vice versa) - all in the name of “compatibility” - it’s all about the marketing as we see with matter… Sadly most consumers fall for this enshittifaction :nauseated_face:

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EDIT - SOLVED:
Because it has worked before (a year or so), I’ve decided to start a new HA VM, and restore a backup from last August.
Tadaa: it works like a charm! :man_shrugging:
Adding to H.A. just works :thinking:
To get the system’s recent data back, I restored a backup from the day before, BUT, without restoring the Matter- and OTBR add-ons.

LOCK: Nuki Smart Lock Go (one of 3 “officially” supported Nuki locks)

Add-on versions
Matter v8.1.0
OTBR: v2.13.0

Original post:

I’ve exactly the same situation.
I can’t see anywhere the lock is connected, only Nuki app says so.
Nuki factory reset don’t matter (…)
I’ve tried to connect it dozens of times.
ZBT-1 dongle configured as Thread only.

I’ve tried Home Assistant OTBR as wel as Ggl Nest TBR to no avail.

Because it has functioned before (using Ggl Nest) I suspect an update of one or more components (OTBR? Thread? Matter?)
Any ideas are welcome.

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I just listened to the episode Home Assistant Podcast: Jürgen Pansy, co-founder of Nuki, and in it he says the app is solely there to avoid a paper manual for physical installation. He said the original Nuki lock had to ship with a 30-page physical manual.

Matter doesn’t support a workflow to provide that installation info, and every other feature request Nuki is working on is higher priority for now since people only need to do setup once in the lifetime of the product.

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That sounds like a poor excuse as they could just provide a manual as a PDF which could be copied and preserved even if the company stop supporting the product. And the QR code for commisioning could and should simple be printed on the product regardless instead of needing an app to generate it.

The problem here is that they use the app tp generate the QR code needed for commisioning instead of just printing the QR code on the device itself like many other manufacturers does. Anyway, not all Matter device manufacturers require a propriatory app.

Again, this means that without their app it is not possible to do an initial setup of the device. Without their pripriatory app you can simply not perform Matter commisioning which needs that QR code.

So if you buy the product today and put it away without commisioning for some years then there is no garantee the device can be installed as there is a risk that app might no longer exist at that time or that Nuki in the future remove support for old products in newer app versions.

In my opinion the above architecture that Nuki has choosen here goes against the Open Home Foundation and the Home Assistant idea of sustainability which promote the possibility of fully local setup and control.

No offence but that notion is just stupid, there are many different scenarios where you need to factory reset these type of devices and start from scratchs.

Use case example for needing do setup more than once is if you sell or give the device to someone else as then they need to start over.

I am of the opinion that if you buy a hardware product then you own it and should not be required to use an app that depends on a cloud service for re-installation.

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The matter QR code is printed on the device itself, see https://help.nuki.io/hc/en-001/articles/15960705302801-Where-can-I-find-my-Matter-code

The install instructions are available online as a PDF https://help.nuki.io/hc/en-001/articles/24621439712785-Smart-Lock-Ultra-Mounting-and-Installation

I do see calibration apparently still requires the Nuki app https://help.nuki.io/hc/en-001/articles/7104608511761-How-to-calibrate-your-Smart-Lock. Is that something defined in the Matter spec and that Home Assistant already supports with their official integrations? If not, a proprietary app seems like a requirement for now, and I don’t see how it’s reasonable to block Certified Works With Home Assistant if the right features aren’t even inHome Assistant yet. As long as Nuki and Home Assistant are in good faith going to try and address it once the standards make it clear how that should be done. Or maybe this kind of calibration stuff is supported by Home Assistant already, and Nuki is really dropping the ball here. In that case, I suggest waiting several years and seeing if any improvements materialize. I do see the garage door opener from Konnected has info on how to calibrate their device from within Home Assistant. But is that equivalent to what Nuki needs to complete calibration? Eg does Nuki need to monitor motor current during the calibration process? I have no idea, but I can definitely believe some devices needing a more complex setup process that currently supported by standards. https://support.konnected.io/calibrate-the-optical-laser-sensor-in-home-assistant

Also note Nuki has many products predating Matter, but only three products are Certified Works with Home Assistant, the Smart Lock Go, Pro, and Ultra. So likely other Nuki products have more issues requiring the Nuki app, but this forum thread should limit discussion to those three models.

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Considering a basic timer for closures isn’t even built into Home Assistant yet, I have even less confidence that Home Assistant already supports whatever is required for the Nuki calibration. https://community.home-assistant.io/t/zha-automatically-calibrate-zigbee-covers/778544/3

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I have not tested it, but Nuki Hub now supports re-calibration of the lock: Release Nuki Hub 9.14 · technyon/nuki_hub · GitHub

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Matter specification allows custom clusters so every function could be made available locally via matter - if manufactures really wanted :warning:

But the unique selling point for matter devices looks rather to allow the exact opposite - to have all functions of a matter certified device only available via proprietary vendor cloud/app/account - to allow pushing walled gardens and revenues forward? :wilted_flower: :money_mouth_face:

But many do so and happily choose matter to spread usage of sh!tty apps full of trackers and even ads :nauseated_face:

As Matter promised, Device Manufacturers (Vendors) don’t have to build their own Phone APP or Cloud service if they don’t want to.

Matter: Distributed Compliance Ledger (DCL) · Developer Portal

In a nutshell: They want! :moneybag:

You should be (very) quick getting your lifetime supply of devices… Expect less and less ownership when buying products - matter was just the introduction and already requires mandatory cloud connection (via matter server/controller) for commissioning :lock:

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I encourage you to listen to that podcast episode and hear for yourself what Jürgen Pansy, co-founder of Nuki, has to say. Sure Nuki isn’t perfect. I’m not either.

The way he talks about his experiences and his vision, I believe it aligns with the Home Assistant community.

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And probably also shareholder at this very moment? What about the future? Merger, Aquission, Liquidation or dilution of shares? :bowing_man:

That’s exactly what happened this year to the company called futurehome and that the new owners directly took all devices (from roughly 30k+ customers) hostage and requested ransom. Everyone that didn’t pay the new subscription was left with a dumb device (disabled local functionalities that formerly were present!). :brick:

What about your thoughts about the (co)-Founder and (now?) former shareholder of futurehome (the one who promised no subscription fees ever)? :thinking:

The new CEO Øyvind Fries sounds like a nice guy /s

This post was kindly archived by the Internet Archive wayback machine :open_file_folder:

Who owns a Nuki Smart Lock Go? WiFi questions
Shelly being acquired by Schneider Electric
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So, it doesn’t work with Home Assistant without Matter?

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Correct. The device only has matter/bluetooth.

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Nuki pro devices also support MQTT over wifi without a hub.

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and WIFI :signal_strength:

Also the manufacture app is needed for full functionality, as written in this thread calibration is one feature exclusively available via the proprietary app. :phone:

Luckily for now they don’t force some cloud account (yet?) and request personal information :mailbox:

But the app still contains more than one tracker library with capabilities of location tracking and analytics with (obvious) cloud backed collection of “your” data. :cloud:

In all it shows how “generous” the matter standard is. Essentially it allows to build a device which interacts via proprietary means with a vendor app and cloud infrastructure (often even with forced account) and beside this “main” code running it adds some matter extension to expose a subset of functions also via matter. But it works (partly) with Home Assistant :dancing_men:

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Since version 9.14, Nuki Hub (FOSS replacement for the Nuki Bridge using an ESP32) supports lock calibration, However, the APP is still needed for the initial setup (e.g. to enable pairing via the button) and for firmware updates.

1 Like